An overwhelming majority of Americans say that a Christian photographer should be allowed not to work at the wedding of asame-sex couple’s wedding request, according to a new poll.

The survey, carried out by polling company Rasmussen Reports, found that 85pc of adults said “yes” to the question, “Suppose a Christian wedding photographer has deeply held religious beliefs opposing same-sex marriage. If asked to work a same-sex wedding ceremony, should that wedding photographer have the right to say no?”

Only 8 percent said “no,” and 6 percent sat on the fence.  

A huge majority of both Republicans (96 percent) and Democrats (77 percent) agreed with the photographer’s right not to work at a same-sex wedding. Ninety-seven percent of evangelical Christians and 92 percent of weekly churchgoers said the same. But even 88 percent of atheists agreed that the photographer has the right to say no.

This comes four months after the latest development in the famous Willock v. Elane Photography case, where Vanessa Willock and her partner, Misti Collinsworth, sued Christian couple Elaine and Jon Huguenin for this very denial in 2006.  

In 2008, the New Mexico Human Rights Commission found the Huguenins guilty of sexual discrimination, and the New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld this ruling last May.

The Alliance Defense Fund, which defended the Huguenins and their company, Elane Photography LLC, has taken their case to the New Mexico Supreme Court. The court heard ADF Senior Counsel Jordan Lorence’s oral arguments on March 11.  

“In all things, in almost every poll that we do, people do have a profound respect for religious rights – they don’t believe people should be forced to act against their beliefs,” Founder and CEO Scott Rasmussen told The Christian Post in a Wednesday interview.

On the issue of same-sex marriage, he noted that “3 out of 4 Americans” believe that “gay couples should have all the same legal rights as traditional couples,” but that same 3/4th majority also believe “people should not be forced to take part in ceremonies that violate their religious sensitivities.”

Despite the sincere and heated opinions on each side of this debate, Rasmussen expressed confidence that public opinion will find a way to work it out. So long as gay and lesbian couples have the same rights and religious liberties are protected, the government can step back and “let society solve the problem.”

He also speculated that if the polling company had asked whether an atheist photographer should be able to refuse to work at a Christian wedding, Americans would have given a very similar answer. “There is a balancing of how far an individual has to go to accommodate customers,” he concluded.